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The Learn To Code Movement

As the number of companies utilizing the cloud, smartphones and API's grow, the demand for skilled programmers is increasing but there is a problem. There aren't enough developers to go around. By 2018, there will be more than 1.4 million job openings in the IT sector. Companies are desperate to build their products yet the numbers of CS graduates, self-taught developers and number of H-1b visas to bring in overseas talent don't add up. In fact, It's not only Silicon Valley; the shortage of programmers is being felt worldwide. With 50% of higher education institutions planning to take their coursework online in the next ten years, how people learn new skills is rapidly changing. This panel of experts will explore the opportunities of learning to program, career options and the outcome of the growing online market for education.

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Questions

How do most people learn to program, especially those that are now senior level with more than then years of experience and if starting out fresh today, what languages are the easiest/most popular/flexible?

Can learning to code make you better at your non-technical job and how do you know that programming is the right fit for you?

How is mobile affecting the programmer landscape? With the introduction of HTML5, more developers are choosing to produce web based versions instead of native apps. Will this trend continue so making front end development more valuable to employers?

What obstacles do you see when it comes to students taking online classes or training vs in-person and how can those be overcome? On the flipside, what obstacles such as traffic are removed when the information and training is all done online instead of in a real, face-to-face classroom?

Does higher education preparing you for programming careers? What are your thoughts on high schools that are changing their curriculums to include programming for students?